Caucus

When a Democratic held City Council seat in Tippecanoe County becomes vacant before the next scheduled election, the Tippecanoe County Democratic Party uses a caucus to fill that position. This method brings together eligible Democratic precinct committee persons to collectively choose a candidate for the open seat. It's a focused, internal process designed to quickly and efficiently select a new representative, ensuring continuous, strong Democratic representation for our community.

Caucus Process

• 1. The county chairperson generally manages the caucus.
  2. A caucus must be called within 10 days of a vacancy and held within 30 days.
  3. Elected precinct committeepersons (in the city council district) and those appointed at least 30 days before the vacancy are eligible to vote. A Vice Committee person is eligible to vote as a proxy for their precinct committee person
  4. Interested candidates must file a declaration of candidacy (State Form CEB-5) with the County Chairperson no later than 72 hours before the caucus.

  1. > Candidates must live the district they wish to represent
     > Candidates to fill an elected office vacancy must meet the two primary voting history requirements; that is, the last two primary elections in Indiana must align with the party the candidate is seeking to fill an elected office vacancy.

• 5. If there are multiple candidates, a secret ballot is held. The chair can break ties.